Casals Quartet, Beethoven Op. 130 and Grosse Fuge

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Image courtesy of L'auditori

A few months before his death, Ludwig van Beethoven composed his String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130, one of his most daring and problematic works. At the time, its sixth and last movement, which culminates in a majestic and intricately designed fugue, was not well received, and his publisher urged him to replace it with a shorter, lighter rondo finale inspired by folk music. Today, however, many performers opt to retain the original sixth movement. Such is the case of the Quartet Casals, who, in this concert, will also perform Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 in F, Op. 73, having already performed the complete set of his quartets two seasons ago. This quartet, written at the same time as his Ninth Symphony, also represents a daring move by the composer; it was the first time he had created a quartet composed of movements, three at medium speed and two slower ones at the end. Lastly, the Barcelona ensemble will play Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga’s String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, one of the most celebrated works by a composer whose career was unfortunately cut short by his untimely death at just 19 years old.

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